Benefits & Criteria – Sponsored/Endorsed Events

Benefits

  1. Liability Insurance: Your event will be covered by the national Handbell Musicians of America umbrella liability policy.   This policy has a per-occurrence limit of $1,000,000 and an aggregate limit of $2,000,000.   A separate Excess Liability policy provides additional coverage of $4,000,000 per occurrence. SPONSORED EVENTS ONLY.
  2. Borrowed Equipment Insurance: Equipment you borrow for your event, including classes, is covered for you against loss due to theft or disaster by a national Handbell Musicians of America umbrella insurance policy. You are responsible for a $1,000 deductible amount.   To make sure the equipment you borrow is covered under the policy, we highly recommend that you document exactly what equipment is borrowed, the estimated value, and the owner of the equipment.  A template you may use for this purpose is available here.  Equipment provided by participants for their own use in massed ringing is not covered. See deadline note below.  SPONSORED EVENTS ONLY.
  3. Site Insurance: If your site requires that it be included as an additional insured on the Handbell Musicians of America insurance certificate, contact the national office to make arrangements.  An additional fee of $35 will be assessed for this service.   The limits for this coverage are as listed above under “Liability Insurance”.  See deadline note below. SPONSORED EVENTS ONLY.
  4. Employee/Volunteer Dishonesty Insurance: Individuals who handle money or other valuables for your event in an official capacity are covered by a national Handbell Musicians of America insurance policy up to a limit of $250,000.  Please document all cash and valuables on hand during event to insure accurate and complete coverage. See deadline note below.  SPONSORED EVENTS ONLY.
  5. Performance Royalties: Under the Handbell Musicians of America national license agreement with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), performance royalties for your event will be paid by the Guild.  See deadline note below.
  6. Mechanical Royalties: Audio recordings of concerts, performed during your event, are permitted by the Handbell Industry Council (HIC).  This applies only to official recordings made by your event leaders, not to recordings made by individual participants.  All other audio and video recordings constitute an infringement of the U. S. copyright laws. If you do make such audio recordings you must, following your event, send statutory mechanical royalties and the Royalty Form (enclosed with this packet) to the publishers involved. See deadline note below.
  7. Advertising: In addition to being publicized in your Area newsletter, your event will be listed in Overtones, the national journal of Handbell Musicians of America, and on the Handbell Musicians of America website (www.handbellmusicians.org). Contact the national office for Overtones deadlines.
  8. Targeted Marketing Information: At your request, the national office will provide you with the names and addresses of Handbell Musicians of America members located in your particular regional Area. Please read the Membership Data Request form. It sets forth Handbell Musicians of America policies regarding using these names and addresses. We encourage you to make use of this opportunity to promote your event.
  9. Targeted Email Broadcasts: At your request, the national office will send a broadcast e-mail to a targeted list of members.  This option is ONLY AVAILABLE FOR AREA-WIDE EVENTS.  Please review the detailed criteria and request process contained in the Event Broadcast Email Request before requesting this benefit.

Please note: To receive benefits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 you must submit final event attendance information to the national office no
later than thirty (30) days following your event
and all other requested reports no later than ninety (90) days following your event.

Criteria

  1. What is the difference between a Sponsored and Endorsed Event?  Sponsored Events are educational events conducted by one of the twelve regional Areas of the Guild or a subsection of the Guild.   Endorsed Events are educational events presented by an individual member or by non-profit groups (i.e., churches, schools, community groups) who are members of the Guild.
  2. For Endorsed Events, the individual or entity that is financially responsible for the event must be a current member of Handbell Musicians of America to receive the benefits listed above.  If the event is presented by an organization, the membership must be in the name of the organization and paid for by the organization.
  3. If it is discovered that an endorsement application has been submitted with falsified information regarding who is actually presenting the event, Handbell Musicians of American has the right to revoke endorsement.  If such discovery is made after the event has occurred, the presenting organization will be invoiced for ASCAP fees and cost of any and all insurance coverage provided.
  4. Your handbell event must be educational in nature. Examples: a festival, a conference, a seminar, a reading session, or a workshop.  Stand-alone performances and concerts are not eligible for Endorsed or Sponsored status.  However, concerts that occur during your event are considered part of its educational nature.
  5. Organizers of both Sponsored and Endorsed events must include the following text in all print materials distributed regarding the event and on any website mention of the event:This event is sponsored/endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America, Inc. dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing.  www.handbellmusicians.org
  6. While membership in Handbell Musicians of America is not required for attendance at Endorsed events, it is encouraged.  Membership in Handbell Musicians of America is required to attend Sponsored events unless special permission is received in writing from Handbell Musicians of America’s Executive Director.  Organizers of both Sponsored and Endorsed events must include information regarding membership in Handbell Musicians of America to all attendees at the event.  The Handbell Musicians of America national office will ship materials to the event contact listed on the Sponsored/Endorsed Application upon approval of the application.
  7. Your event must not conflict with either dates or locations that compete for the same potential registrants of other scheduled Handbell Musicians of America Sponsored or Endorsed events. Normally this means other regional events scheduled within two months or within a 2-3 hour drive of your event; or major national events scheduled within four months or 4-6 hours drive of your event.
  8. The budget for your event must be submitted (on the Budget form included in this packet) for approval. Your registration fees and other income are to cover only the costs of your event, to sustain the event in subsequent years, or to support other Handbell Musicians of America programs in your area.   Individuals may receive honoraria and vendors may sell goods or services during your event.   Fundraising events, whether to benefit individuals or organizations other than Handbell Musicians of America, are not eligible for Endorsement or Sponsorship.
  9. Handbell Musicians of America Sponsorship or Endorsement of your event does not include financial assistance or the assumption of any financial responsibility by Handbell Musicians of America.  All financial matters are the sole responsibility of your event and its organizers.
  10. You must comply with all applicable copyright laws, including, but not limited to, prohibiting the use of copied music as well as audio/video recordings of your event.  Your event must also comply with all applicable safety, legal, insurance, and Internal Revenue Service codes and regulations.
  11. Endorsed Events (those not organized by a Handbell Musicians of America Area or sub-area) are subject to Endorsement Fees.  Please remit payment to the Handbell Musicians of America Area in which your event takes place and forward the payment along with your event report to the Area Chair.  Do not send the Endorsement Fee to the national office.

Endorsement Fees are calculated as follows:

    • 1-99 paid registrants – $0.75 per registrant per day
    • 100-499 paid registrants – $1.00 per registrant per day
    • 500+ paid registrants – $1.50 per registrant per day

(one day = 0-24 hrs, two days = 25-48 hrs, three days = 49-72 hours)